Seamless tube reeling



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R B WILEY SEAMLESS TUBE REELING Filed'Jan. 3. 1940 Patented Nov. 23, 1943 sEAMLEss TUBE REEHG Ralph B. Wiley, McKeesport, Pa., assigner to National Tube Company, a corporation o! New Jersey Application January 3, 19.40, Serial No. 312,309

' 'z claims. (ci. .to-13) `v This invention generally relates to the manufacture of seamless steel tubes but it is particularly concerned with the step of reeling the tubes which works the shell to a wall thickness, length and diameter approximating what is desired in 4the Way of a finished tube. However, the inside and outside nish ofthe tube form lacks smoothness and the Wall thickness is somewhat irregular. It is the function off-,the reeling step to nishthesurfaces of the form and to adjustits wall thickness. After this step the form is sized and finished by processing which depends on the demands the ultimate tube must meet.

A reeling machine is used in'accomplishing this reeling'step. In accordance with the teachings of the prior art, such a machine comprises a pair of cylindrical rolls between which a cylindrical mandrel is positioned. These rolls are arranged in axially crossed relationship so that when they revolve they work the tube form over the mandrel, the usual arrangement being for the axes of the rolls to bisect each other with the Imandrel positioned centrally in line with the bisecting axes'. Since the rolls and mandrel are all cylindrical, the rolls and mandrel Work the tube form in a very localized manner, the rolls theoretically having only point contact with the form. As a result of this, the feeding speed of the form must be very slow so that'the spirally rolled portions of the surfaces can properly overlap and result in a finished piece of work.

A seamless tube reeling machine constructed` in accordance with the present invention is distinguished from such prior art machines by having axially crossed rails positioned and contoured to provide oppositely spaced revolving surfaces that mutually converge to form a gorge in line with the transverse axial intersection ofthe rolls and which then diverge from this gorge, a mandrel being positioned between the diverging portions of the'roll surfaces and the surface of the mandrel and these diverging portions of the roll surfaces being respectively contoured to mutually provide a reeling pass bonded by mutually parallel *revolving surfaces of substantial lengths. A reeling machine having its rolls and mandrel contoured as described results in the inside and outside of a tube form passed through the machine, being reeled between opposite parallel surfaces forming line contacts extending diagonally along the tube. In other words, the reeling machine of the present invention works the tube form as though the machine were nishing flat strip having parallel surfaces excepting that this strip is in the form of a helix. Due to the width of the strip, the tube form can be fed at relatively high speeds without losing the necessaryoyerlapping relationship required to properly finish the work.

It is preferred to make the rolls of the barreltype, the converging'portions being conical with the gorge forming the bases of these portions. Theoretically, the diverging portions and the mandrel providing the cooperating working surface for these portions, should have very-slightly curved contours to maintain a parallel pass, this following from the fact that the rolls are necessarily axially crossed to provide for feeding of v the work. However, under practical working conditions, it has ,been found sufficient to make the'diverging portions of the surfaces of the rolls,

conical and to make the mandrel conical, the` As previously explained, the result of using the new reeling machine is to enable working of the inside and outside of the tube form result- -ing from piercing and rolling operationsfbetween spacedmutually parallel surfaces of substantial lengths revolving diagonally of the form. These surfaces should not depart; from mutual parallelism more than one-half of a degree at the most. By calculating the roll contours and the contour of the mandrel so as to provide parallel surfaces rolling diagonally of the tube form when the rolled axes are crossed at greater angles than is usual in reeling machines, and by making the converging portions of the surfaces of the rolls which lead to the gorge so as to properly enter the tube form into the reeling pass, it is possible to reel tubes much faster than could be done heretofore` while obtaining a proper finish and a uniform wall thickness.

A specific example of the following disclosureis illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in.

which:

:Figure 1 shows the rolls in elevation; Figure 2 is a section taken from the line lI--II in Figure l: and

Figure 3 is a section taken from 111 in Figure 2.

More specifically, the rolls l are illustrated as being of barrel type although properly contoured disk rolls could be used. 1 'The 'contour of these rolls is such as to provide the oppositely spaced the line III-x` gard to the various factors involved.' Although the surfaces I* are also shown as being conical and although this is considered preferable, itis conceivable that the surfaces might be slightly 5 curved in some instances provided the contour. is

revolving surfaces I'l that mutually converge to the gorge lb located in line with the transverse axial intersection of the rolls, and the diverging surfaces which are calculated in conjunction with the surface of the mandrel 2 located between the rolls I, to provide a reeling pass bounded by parallel rolling surfaces as indicated at 3, this pass being of substantial extent so as to work a helical strip of the tube form wall l. It is to be understood that appropriate guides 5 must be used to position the form between the rolls I.

suitablefor the purpose that must be accomplished, namely, the forming of the tube into an oval so as to apply some compression tending'to slightly thicken its wall and so as to'eect proper 'entry of the tube into the reeling pass of the 'I claim: A l. A seamless tube reeling machine having axially crossed rolls positionedand contouredto provide oppositely spaced revolving surfaces that mutually converge to form a gorge inline with the transverse axial intersection of the rolls 'and' which thenv diverge from this gorge, .and ay flaring.

.mandrel between the diverging portions of said i When the form 4 encounters the surfaces I, it

is worked to an oval cross section and is then gradually returned to cylindrical form as it travels through the reeling .pass 3. vIt is to be understood that the wall thickness of the tube form does not change to any great degree during its travel through the reeling pass 3, the eect being to take metal from parts of the wall that are too thick and to place this metal in parts of the wall that are too thin, whereby to even the wall thickness throughout. At the same time, a proper finish is imparted to the inside and outside of the form.

As previously explained, when vthe surfaces 'Ic andsurface of the mandrel 2 are conical, exact parallelism between the surfaces bounding the pass 3 is not obtained. However, it, can be attained so completely that it is practically impossible to detect the deviation. The attainment of this relationship is doneby regulating the angularity of the various conical surfaces with due resurfaces, the surface of 'said mandrel and saiddiverging portions of said roll surfaces being l respectively contoured to mutually provide a reeling pass bounded by mutually parallel revolving surfaces of substantial lengths, whereby the inside and outside of a tube passed through said machine are reeled between opposite parallel surfaces forming .line contacts extending diagonally along the tube. I

2. A seamless tube reeling machine having axially crossed rolls positioned and contoured to, provide oppositely spaced revolving surfaces that mutually converge to form a gorge in line with the transverse axial intersection of the rolls and which then diverge fromthis gorge, anda flaring' mandrelbetween the diverging portions loi 'said surfaces, the surface of-saidmandrel and said diverging portionsof said roll surfaces being `re spectively contoured to mutually provide a reeling pass bounded by revolving surfaces of substantial lengths which do not depart from mutual parallelism more than a half of a degree.

7 RALPH B. WILEY. 

